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Nykerk Cup Competition is Nov. 7

Submitted by Julie Huisingh on Mon, 2009-11-02 11:33

Hope College will host its 75th annual Nykerk Cup competition on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. at the HollandCivicCenter, located at 150 W. Eighth St.

The event, one of a variety of activities scheduled during the college's Family Weekend, will feature more than 200 members of the freshman and sophomore classes competing in song, plays and oration. The participating classes this year are the freshman Class of '13 and the sophomore Class of '12.

The public is invited. Admission is free.

The competition, first held on March 16, 1936, is named in honor of the originator of the program, John Nykerk, a professor, college dean and founder of the HopeCollege department of music. The event is continuously staged before a large audience.

The oration theme is "Echo..." The sophomore orator is Karli Rowe of Rockford, whose coaches are Robin Baker of Cicero, Ind., and Laura Stritzke of Granville, Ohio. The freshman orator is Cara Green of Golden, Colo., whose coaches are Alexa Westley of Kalamazoo and Sara Saavedra of Holland.

The sophomore play is "Aladdin." The coaches are Beth Ann Tieche of St. Charles, Ill., and Holly Johnson of Zeeland. The morale coaches are Michael Irvin of Libertyville, Ill., Zachary Anderson of Sparta and Nicholas Vanderhovel of Howell.

The freshman play is "That's the Name of the Game." The coaches are Mary Cantor of Flint and Kara Weaver of Granger, Ind. The morale coaches are Ronald Radcliffe of Morris, Ill., and Nicholas Rebhan of Holland.

The sophomore song is "Grease Medley." The coaches are Emily Cook of Hudsonville and Jena Iverson of Bloomington, Minn. The morale coaches are Samuel Pettigrew of Fox River Grove, Ill., and Stephen Hobson of Flushing.

The freshman song is "Footloose." The coaches are Shannon Brenneman of Wadsworth, Ohio, and Kelsey Hawkins of Williamsburg. The morale coaches are Colin Zoellner of Eastpointe, Samuel Thomas of Adrian and Trevor Coeling of Hudsonville.

During the event's intermission, the song sections will perform "Don't Stop Believing" from "Glee."

The weekend will feature a variety of other performances and presentations in addition to the Nykerk Cup competition.

The De Pree Art Center is featuring the exhibition "Margaret Cogswell: River Fugues" through Saturday, Nov. 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

The college's biology and chemistry seminar series will each feature addresses by guest speakers on Friday, Nov. 6, in the A. Paul Schaap Science Center. Dr. Kay Holecamp of the zoology department at Michigan State University will present "Developmental 'handicaps' and the evolution of extreme parental behavior" at 3 p.m. in room 1019 in address sponsored by the Tri-Beta biology honorary society. Inorganic chemist Dr. Mary Elizabeth Anderson of Pennsylvania State University will present "Benchtop Chemical Patterning of Nanostructures: from Nanowires to Surfaces to Circuits..." at 4 p.m. in room 1000. The A. Paul Schaap Science Center is located on College Avenue at 12th Street. Admission to both talks is free.

The college's Contemporary Ensemble, Mainstream Ensemble and Jazz Arts Collective will present a concert on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m. in Dimnent Memorial Chapel, located on College Avenue at 12th Street. Admission is free.

The college's ice hockey club team will host Grand Valley State University on Saturday, Nov. 7, at 8:30 p.m. at The Edge Ice Arena, located at 4444 Holland Ave., near Ransom Street north of Holland. There will be an admission charge.

Dr. Gabe Southard, assistant professor of music, will present a flute recital on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. in Wichers Auditorium of Nykerk Hall of Music, located in the central Hope campus along the former 12th Street between College and Columbia avenues. Admission is free.

The three-day Family Weekend, running Friday-Sunday, Nov. 6-8, will also feature activities geared toward parents of current students specifically, including a variety of open classes and discussion sessions focused on various aspects of college life. Additional information about the weekend is available online at: